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Scientific paper

Text

Peasant agriculture or agribusiness: what production model would lead to degrowth?

Author:
João Luís Homem de Carvalho

Entry type:
Scientific paper

Year of publication:
2014

Publishers:
Degrowth Conference Leipzig 2014

Language:
English

Abstract: There is a dispute between two agricultural models in Brazil: the agribusiness and the peasant agriculture. We need to discuss which agricultural model is more to our proposed degrowth. This paper aims to show that peasant agriculture in Brazil produces more food for the local population, occupies more manpower, uses fewer natural resources and emits lower amounts of greenhouse gases than the agribusiness. In spite of that, Brazilian government encourages and supports agribusiness more than peasant agriculture. The method used for the present study was to survey statistical data. The data used were from – IBGE- the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistic. Data were collected on the supply of public credit to production, the amount of land occupied, global production, food production for local populations and the labor employed. Apart from the IBGE data, some internal calculations were utilized, as well as data provided by CONAB - National Supply Company - on the transportation flow of some types of food in the two models of production.

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